The present invention relates generally to gear burnishing dies or burnishing gears, and more particularly to a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, as well as systems or apparatus having such dies or gears incorporated therein, wherein the burnishing die or burnishing gear is provided with a plurality of spiral gashes that are especially and uniquely adapted to burnish or remove irregularities from the involutes or side surface portions of the gear teeth by, in effect, shearing nicks, burrs, and other positive or protruding material masses which may appear or be present upon the involutes or sides of the gear teeth as a result of the original processing or manufacture of the same.
Gear burnishing dies comprise in effect gear type apparatus which burnish or process gears in order to remove irregularities which may be present upon the gear surfaces as a result of the original processing or manufacture of the same. A basic gear burnishing system was originally disclosed, for example, within U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,820 which issued to Guenter K. Rosendahl on May 30, 1967 and comprised the use of three burnishing gears which effectively cooperated together in unison so as to remove irregularities which were present upon the gear tooth surfaces of a single workpiece gear. While such a gear burnishing system obviously constituted an appreciable improvement in connection with the processing of gears in view of the fact that such a system reduced the irregularities appearing or present upon the gear tooth surfaces of the workpiece gear, such a system was nevertheless not entirely satisfactory. More particularly, it was recognized that despite the use of the three burnishing gears which were arranged within a substantially triangular array so as to effectively simultaneously work together upon circumferentially spaced tooth regions of the single workpiece gear during a work cycle comprising multiple gear revolutions, such a system was not always able to process gears to a predeterminedly required degree of gear accuracy and suitability. In particular, it was found that the tips of the gear teeth were still exhibited nicks and burrs, and not all areas of each gear tooth flank were able to be uniformly burnished. It was further determined that these operational defects or drawbacks characteristic of the Rosendahl system resided in or were based upon the fact that all three of the burnishing gears employed substantially equal operating pressure angles.
Accordingly, substantial improvements upon the system disclosed within the Rosendahl patent were subsequently made by means of the gear burnishing system disclosed, for example, within U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,190 which issued to Henry J. Flair on Dec. 15, 1981. Briefly, in accordance with the improved system of Flair, which is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 which corresponds to FIG. 2 of the noted patent, and wherein the entire disclosure of such patent is hereby incorporated by reference, it is seen that the burnishing gears are respectively disclosed at 12, 32, and 40 in a substantially triangular array, a workpiece gear to be processed and burnished is disclosed at 1, and a workpiece gear that has already been processed and burnished is disclosed at 1a. The workpiece gear 1 to be processed is delivered to the central processing or burnishing position between the three burnishing gears 12, 32, 40 by means of a delivery or feed chute 10, and the workpiece gear 1a which has already been processed and burnished is removed from the central processing or burnishing position by means of an exit chute 50. In accordance with the teachings of such patented system, all three of the burnishing gears 12, 32, 40 have different operating pressure angles, and consequently, as a result of the provision of such a tri-variable operating pressure angle gear system, the surface-to-surface contact defined between the workpiece gear 1 and the burnishing gears 12, 32, 40 results in the fact that virtually all regions of the gear teeth flanks, as well as the gear teeth tip portions of the workpiece gear 1, are able to be addressed and processed.
In order to process or burnish workpiece gears upon which relatively large irregularities or nicks are present, and in connection with which such workpiece gears could not properly be processed or burnished by means of the noted patented system of Flair, additional improvements to the system of Flair were needed. Accordingly, such improvements were in effect developed and are disclosed, for example, within U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,780 which issued to Arne R. Jorgensen on Nov. 15, 1983. In accordance with this last-mentioned patent, which is disclosed within FIG. 2 which corresponds to FIG. 1 of the noted patent, and wherein the entire patent of Jorgensen is hereby incorporated by reference, the workpiece gear 12 is axially oscillated or reciprocated, in conjunction with controlled rotary motion of the burnishing gears 16, 18, 20, so as to achieve more uniform sliding action. In a manner similar to that of the system of Flair, the workpiece gear 12 is adapted to be delivered to the processing or burnishing position between the three burnishing gears 16, 18, 20 by means of a delivery or input chute 14, and the processed or burnished gear 12 is adapted to be removed from the processing or burnishing position between the burnishing gears 16, 18, 20 by means of an exit or output chute 46.
The implementation or incorporation of such reciprocating or oscillating components, however, into the gear burnishing system obviously renders the overall system more expensive to implement. In addition, the patented system of Jorgensen also presents an operational drawback in that the reciprocating or oscillating action imparted to the workpiece gear results in the generation of a significant amount of heat. Accordingly, the use of coolant during the processing or burnishing of the workpiece gears is required, however, the required use of coolant presents additional operational problems. For example, it is expensive to incorporate a coolant dispensing system into the overall workpiece gear burnishing system, and in addition, the processed or burnished gears need to be subsequently washed, cleansed, or rinsed in order to remove any coolant which may be residually present upon the processed or burnished work-piece gears. Still yet further, it has been noted or experienced that, even with the incorporation of the oscillating or reciprocating mechanism into the system disclosed within Jorgensen in order to process or burnish workpiece gears upon which relatively large irregularities or nicks are present, such a system cannot in fact burnish or process the largest or most broadbase irregularities, nicks, or the like which nevertheless should or could be able to be processed or burnished in order to permit such workpiece gears to still meet predeterminedly required degrees of gear accuracy and suitability.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear which can effectively be incorporated either within the apparatus or system of Flair, or alternatively, within the apparatus or system of Jorgensen, wherein the new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear is more effective than prior art gear burnishing dies or burnishing gears such that, except for the largest irregularities, nicks, burrs, or the like, when such new and improved gear burnishing dies or burnishing gears are incorporated, for example, within the system of Flair, relatively large irregularities, nicks, burrs, or the like, can be effectively removed in accordance with dry processing or burnishing techniques whereby the use of coolant, and the expense of incorporating such coolant systems into the overall gear burnishing system, is obviated, and wherein further, the new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear is more effective than prior art gear burnishing dies or burnishing gears such that, when such new and improved gear burnishing dies or burnishing gears are incorporated, for example, within the system of Jorgensen whereby the workpiece gear oscillating or reciprocating system is in fact to be utilized, the largest or broadbase irregularities, nicks, burrs, or the like, can in fact be effectively removed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, and a system or apparatus having such a burnishing gear or die incorporated therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, and a system or apparatus having such a burnishing die or gear incorporated therein, which overcomes the various drawbacks and disadvantages of PRIOR ART gear burnishing die or burnishing gear and the systems having such dies or gears incorporated therein.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, and a system or apparatus having such a burnishing die or gear incorporated therein, which overcomes the various drawbacks and disadvantages of PRIOR ART gear burnishing die or burnishing gear and the systems having such dies or gears incorporated therein by being capable of burnishing gear members in accordance with a shearing action.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, and a system or apparatus having such a burnishing die or gear incorporated therein, which overcomes the various drawbacks and disadvantages of PRIOR ART gear burnishing die or burnishing gear and the systems having such dies or gears incorporated therein by being capable of burnishing gear members in accordance with a shearing action whereby gear burnishing operations, which previously required the use of coolant-applied oscillating or reciprocating mechanisms, can now be accomplished by means of coolant-free gear burnishing systems.
A last object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, and a system or apparatus having such a burnishing die or gear incorporated therein, which overcomes the various drawbacks and disadvantages of PRIOR ART gear burnishing die or burnishing gear and the systems having such dies or gears incorporated therein by being capable of burnishing gear members in accordance with a shearing action whereby gear burnishing operations, which previously required the use of coolant-applied oscillating or reciprocating mechanisms, can now be accomplished by means of coolant-free gear burnishing systems, or alternatively, when the burnishing gears or dies of the present invention are incorporated within an oscillating or reciprocating gear burnishing system, the largest or most broadbase nicks or irregularities are able to be burnished and properly finished to required tolerances.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved gear burnishing die or burnishing gear, and a system or apparatus having such a gear burnishing die or burnishing gear incorporated therein, which comprises the provision of a plurality of spiral slashes or gashes formed within the gear teeth of the burnishing gear or gear burnishing die. The slashes or gashes may be on the order to 0.050 inches in width, they are designed to extend from the root portion of each tooth to the crest portion of each tooth, and are disposed at an angle of between 45xc2x0-60xc2x0 with respect to a transverse plane across each tooth. As a result of the provision of such gashes or slashes within the burnishing gear or burnishing die, positive imperfections, nicks, irregularities, or the like, are effectively removed by means of a shearing action as the workpiece gear is slidably or rollably moved across or relative to the burnishing gear or burnishing die, and the removed positive material is caught within the space or slot defined upon the burnishing gear or burnishing die by means of the slash or gash formed therein and is accordingly removed thereby. Still further, such burnishing gears or burnishing dies may be operatively incorporated within systems such as those disclosed within the aforenoted Jorgensen and Flair patents, wherein, in connection with those systems, the new and improved burnishing gears or burnishing dies developed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention may in effect be substituted for the low operating pressure angle and high operating pressure angle burnishing gears or burnishing dies 40 and 32, respectively, of Flair, and 20 and 18, respectively of Jorgensen, such that improved burnishing operations can in fact be performed upon workpiece gears whereby enhanced burnishing results can be attained.
It is noted in conjunction with the aforenoted low and high operating pressure angle burnishing gears or burnishing dies that the gash or slash structure developed in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention need not necessarily be incorporated within the remaining third burnishing gear or burnishing die as seen at 12 in the Flair patented system and at 16 in the Jorgensen patented system. The reason for this is that such burnishing gears or burnishing dies 12, 16, respectively, are used for burnishing the tip portions of the workpiece gears wherein the burnishing operations or finishes performed with respect to such tip portions of the workpiece gears are substantially or primarily achieved through means of a hammering effect as a result of contact between the burnishing gear or burnishing die and the workpiece tip portion as opposed to a sliding or rubbing effect or action as defined between the burnishing gear or burnishing die and the involute side portions of the workpiece gear as achieved by means of the burnishing gears or burnishing dies 40, 32 of Flair or the burnishing gears or burnishing dies 20, 18 of Jorgensen.